**Nigel Bruce (1895-1953)** was a prolific British actor, best known for his iconic portrayal of Dr. Watson alongside Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes in fourteen films of the popular series between 1939 and 1946. His Watson, faithful and good-natured, though often portrayed as naive or a bit bumbling, became a distinctive element of the collective imagination surrounding the character.

Outside of Holmes, Bruce was a versatile character actor, often cast in roles as affable, eccentric, or slightly pompous British gentlemen. He made his mark in notable films such as Alfred Hitchcock's *Rebecca* (1940) and *Suspicion* (1941), *The Rains Came* (1939), and *Lassie Come Home* (1943). His career, spanning from theater to film, made him a familiar figure in the Hollywood cinematic landscape of the 1930s and 1940s.